Rev. Solomon Sir Jones was a Baptist minister, businessman, and amateur filmmaker. This collection of home movies by Jones documents African American communities in Oklahoma between 1924 and 1928, depicting residents at work and in their homes, as well as activities at local schools, businesses, and churches. Community social events such as parades and funerals are prominently featured.

Description

A 16mm silent, black and white film (a) with original metal Kodascope film reel (b) and original plastic film can (c) featuring footage taken in Oklahoma during the middle and late 1920s by Solomon Sir Jones, the first in a collection of nine films.

Consists of: 16mm Film (a), Original Film Reel (b), Original Film Can (c).

2011.79.1.1a: 16mm film.

This film begins with congregants exiting down the front steps of a church and walking by the camera. They are all dressed in semi-formal attire with some wearing hats. After showing a close-up of some of the congregants, the footage shows the front of a grocery and cafe. There are children and adults standing in front of the store. A woman in a waitress uniform comes out of the store, turns in front of the camera and walks back inside. The next footage shows the front of the Douglass School, possibly in Oklahoma City. The camera pans around to show adults and children in the front of the school, parked cars, and other nearby buildings. The next scene shows children in front of a different building, possibly another school, lined up in rows with many holding books. They begin walking in formation passing in front of the camera. After showing some adults standing in front of the building, the footage then shows children playing on a playground. The next scene shows the children climbing into automobiles with long rear seating areas and driving down a hill away from the building and passing in front of the camera. The next scene shows agricultural work with scenes of men performing various tasks. They work with trucks and mechanized equipment to bag the crops and transport them. The next scene shows women and children working in a field and a man riding a plow pulled by a horse. There is footage of a family walking out of a farmhouse, probably the same family from the previous footage in the field. The next scene shows a swimming pool followed by a panning shot of a residential neighborhood with single family homes. Some of the residents walk in and out of their homes so that they can be filmed. There is footage of a man in a commercial area with a sign that reads "Yukon's Best Flour," although the footage is probably not from the town of Yukon, Oklahoma. The next shot shows the front of the Mosaic Temple of America building. There is a brief shot of a storefront window before more footage of single family homes in a residential neighborhood. There are more shots of residents on their porches, both adults and children. The footage again shows the commercial area including a billboard advertising Camel cigarettes. There is more footage of people leaving the front door of a building followed by another scene of agricultural work with a team of horses pulling a plow and men working. Following that, there is a brief shot of a man standing next to a horse and buggy. The next scene shows a man and woman outside of a house under construction that appears to be close to completion. The camera then shows more homes and a brief street scene of two men grappling for the camera.

2011.79.1.1b: Original film reel.

2011.79.1.1c: Original film can. Inscribed on the outside of the canister is, in red ink [#], followed in black ink by [1] / [SEE LIST]. A handwritten inscription on white adhesive label reads: [Cont'd OKC Jones 1 / SEE LIST Potatoes Wybark].

Rev. Solomon Sir Jones was a Baptist minister, businessman, and amateur filmmaker. This collection of home movies by Jones documents African American communities in Oklahoma between 1924 and 1928, depicting residents at work and in their homes, as well as activities at local schools, businesses, and churches. Community social events such as parades and funerals are prominently featured.

Description

A 16mm silent, black and white film (a) with original metal film reel (b) and original metal film can (c) featuring footage taken in Oklahoma during the middle and late 1920s by Solomon Sir Jones, the second in a collection of nine films.

There is an inscription on the metal canister in red ink that is partially obscured by two whtie labels, visible is [ance # 2]. The '2' has been written over again in black ink, and below it is [SEE LIST] also in black ink. Written on the adhesive labels in black ink is [Oklahoma - Jones / This is on video 2].

The film opens with people dressed in semi-formal attire leaving the front door of a building. The next scene shows a woman shaking hands of people leaving the front door. Then same woman is then shown feeding chickens. The next scene shows the Mount Olive Baptist Church where S. S. Jones was the pastor. The next series of footage shows sheep in a field, two women and a girl on a front porch, and one of the women driving a car and exiting it to return to the porch. There is footage of the Langston, Oklahoma, post office, and cars pulling up to a gas station. The next scene shows a parade with soldiers in uniform followed by a group of men and then a group of women, perhaps students from the Colored Agricultural and Normal University (now Langston University). A man feeds chickens in the next scene that also shows a farmhouse and poultry houses. Several well-dressed men walk around outside. The next footage shows a group of several buildings, perhaps the university that the students paraded in front of earlier in the film. The following scene shows a man and a woman in front of a store with ducks. That is followed by footage of men and women picking cotton in a field. The next scene shows picked cotton in wagons pulled by horses. The cotton is removed from the wagons using a long tube attached to a building. The next footage shows cotton coming out of a door wrapped up in bales. The men roll the cotton out of the door. The next scene shows a large house with a car pulling up in front of it, then there is footage of a steam locomotive pulling passenger rail cars. The next scene shows men walking out of a store with a "Meat-Market" sign hanging over the front door. There is also some footage of the store interior. The next scene shows men and women dressed in semi-formal attire leaving the front door of what appears to be a school. A different school building that people exit in the next scene is identified as Vernon High School.

Rev. Solomon Sir Jones was a Baptist minister, businessman, and amateur filmmaker. This collection of home movies by Jones documents African American communities in Oklahoma between 1924 and 1928, depicting residents at work and in their homes, as well as activities at local schools, businesses, and churches. Community social events such as parades and funerals are prominently featured.

Description

A 16mm silent, black and white film (a) with original metal film reel (b) and original metal film can (c) featuring footage taken in Oklahoma during the middle and late 1920s by Solomon Sir Jones, the seventh in a collection of nine films.

On the outside of the metal can are handwritten inscriptions on three white adhesive labels reading: [Acc Oklahoma Jones], [Kids Playing / Basketball], and [pumping gas / oil]. In the center is a yellowed label reading [O.K. / Rev. S S Jones / Reel reel - Red / Needs a leader.] on top of an impinted design.

The film begins with footage from a gas station. The camera pans around the intersection in a commercial district with cars passing by in front of the camera. The next scene shows a man and a woman come out of a house and get into a car. Then the man and woman are seen in a field with cows. Then there is footage of two men in a cotton field. The woman is shown feeding chickens. The exteriors of two buildings are shown, and one of them is possibly the Grand Lodge of the Knights and Pythias. The next scene returns to the farm and a man working with horses and a woman taking care of some plants on the porch. Then a group of people walk out of the house and to a car in the front yard. At another house, a woman feeds the chickens and the camera shows a portrait of the family on the porch before they walk past the camera. Ducks walk around in the front yard. The footage shows people walking around in the yard. The next scene shows women exiting a building. After the women exit, men exit through the same door. There are also some children. The next scene appears to show those same people standing in a line as the camera pans and shows the group. There is a quick scene of children playing followed by young adult men and women walking down the steps after exiting the front door of a building. After a group of adults, possibly teachers, poses on the front steps and walks down, a large group of children walk out of the door and down the stairs. Following the children are more young adults. The next scene shows some of the students in the front of the school performing choreographed exercises and dances. The next scene is in a rural area with a building and an oil derrick. In the next scene, a man walks out of his house and is handed stacks of paper, perhaps money. The next scene shows four people standing on the front porch of a house before they walk down the front stairs. There are some other residential street scenes, and then footage of activity at a gas station. The next scene shows adults and children on the front porch of a house, and then the footage shows the exterior of the Eaglewing Hotel. The next scene shows the window sign for the State of Oklahoma Knights of Pythias Grand Lodge. The camera pans the exterior of the building, and a man comes out of a door and walks down the stairs to the sidewalk. The next footage shows a house and then a storefront. The next scene shows men working on a car, and then there is another scene at a gas station. The camera shows a Use Magnolia Gasoline and Magnolene Motor Oils and Greases advertisement painted on the side of the gas station building. The next scene shows a large house with a little girl playing outside. Then a man comes up to the porch and three women come out from inside. The next scene shows a farm and a woman feeding chickens. There is also footage of horses pulling equipment. The next scene shows a building with a long staircase and people coming outside to pose for a large group portrait. The footage includes the photographer setting up the camera. The crowd begins waving their hands and hats in the air as the film ends.